Wrong Place at the Wrong Time
by CGT
Summary: AU where the Night Howler Case never happened. Rookie Officer Judy Hopps receives her first major case, but the only animal who can help her is a belligerent fox.
1. Arrest Warrant

Judy Hopps was a police officer. Not only that, she was the first rabbit to become an official member of the Zootopia Police Department, an institution comprised mostly of larger predator animals. She had managed to survive her first month on the force despite the fact that most of the other animals on the force didn't seem to like her very much, including Police Chief Bogo.

The large cape buffalo seemed to have it out for Judy since day one, intentionally keeping her off cases he deemed she was too small or too weak to handle, despite the fact she had managed to graduated from the police academy at the top of her class. His most common taric for keeping hoer out of the way was placing her on parking duty, which admittedly was a job she was very good at. Judy, however, didn't want to be a meter maid forever. She really wanted to help people, not be the low point of their week.

Judy had had the desire to be a cop for as long as she could remember. She had grown up in a small town known as Bunnyburrow, which was situated just over 200 miles from the sprawling metropolis of Zootopia. Her parents were less than thrilled in their daughter's chosen career path, hoping she would go into the family business of carrot farming, but we're nonetheless supportive if her decision, knowing there was no stopping Judy once her mind was set on something.

That determination certainly helped Judy work through the police academy in spite of her physical shortcomings. It also helped her stick with the job once she was there. In fact, her incessant requests for more difficult assignments had started to wear away at the Chief's defenses. Maybe he hoped she would get in over her head and he would have a legitimate excuse to fire her or maybe he was finally starting her see her potential. Judy didn't care either way. The more opportunity she had to prove herself the better.

Almost one month to the day after her first day on the job, Judy was sitting in her usual place at the front of roll call listening to the large Chief Bogo listing out the daily assignments when she heard her name listed with numerous other officers to execute a search and arrest warrant in an apartment near the city center. Judy new the area well; it was only a few blocks from her own apartment, which wasn't in the best part of town.

The target of the arrest was one Jonathan Foxx, a red fox who was suspected of running a illegal gambling ring from his home.

 _Of course it would be a fox._

Judy did not have the best memories of foxes from back home in Bunnyburrow, especially her neighbor Gideon Grey. Gideon was the town bully. Judy even carried the faint claw marks on her left cheek from when Gideon took his bullying a little too far.

After roll call, Judy met with the other members of the warrant team. Officer's Fangmeyer and Wolford, two wolves and a massive polar bear named Snarlof comprised the team with Judy, though they seemed to pay her little mind as they made their way to Foxx's apartment.

They parked the car and took the elevator to the fourth floor of the dingy apartment to room 4113: Foxx's room. Wolford knocked on the door.

"Mr. Jon Foxx, this is the Zootopia Police department. Please open the door." The small group waited for several seconds, hearing no sound of movement from within the small apartment. Wolford reached up and knocked again.

"Mr. Foxx, this is the ZPD. Open the door or we will force it open." Still, there was no response. The three large animals looked at each other and silently nodded. Judy knew what that meant. She took a step away from the door and drew her sidearm, as did the others. Wolford tried the handle and found it was locked from the inside. He stepped back and raised his powerful hind leg and sent it crashing through the wooden door. It swung open with a creak and metal pieces from the shattered lock clinked on the ground.

Following training that was drilled into their heads, the officers entered the small apartment, looking for any sign of Foxx. It didn't take long. Fangmeyer entered the tiny bedroom before immediately recoiling, with a look of terror on his face Judy couldn't quite describe. The wolf fumbled with his radio before he managed to depress the transmit button.

"This is officer Fangmeyer, we have a 187," he said.

 _187? A homicide?_

Judy made her way to the bedroom as well. As she inched close to the doorway, she could see the dark red blood forming a puddle on the ground at the foot of the bed. She didn't get to see the figure on the bed before a flash of orange and green caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. Someone just darted out onto the fire escape.

"Movement!" Judy shouted as she bolted to the window. She looked down the four story fire escape and saw a figure quickly moving down rickety metal steps. It looked like a fox, but Judy couldn't quite be sure.

"Suspect moving down the fire escape! Officer Hopps in pursuit!" she yelled before she threw herself out the window on to the fire escape. Ignoring the protests of the other officers, Judy jumped down the stairs, skipping several steps at a time.

She hit the ground hard and looked up just in time to see the suspect's tail disappear into an alley not far away. She bolted toward the alley, straining her short legs to run faster than had before. The consequences of letting this guy get away were more severe than ever before.

She turned the corner into the alley and was relieved to find it had no exit. The suspect, however, was less than relieved. Realizing he was trapped, he turned to face Judy, allowing her to get a good look at him for the first time. He was a red fox, though he wasn't Jon Foxx. He was a little taller. His dark green eyes darted around the alley, clearly still looking for a way out. What concerned Judy the most was fact his left hand was in the pocket of his khaki pants.

"Sir, I need to see both of your hands. Turn around and place them both on the wall," she said in as authoritative a voice as she could muster while adrenaline pumped through her system. The fox didn't seem to understand as he refused to move at all. Worried he was armed, Judy lifted the muzzle of her weapon slightly.

"Sir, place _both_ of your hands on the wall where I can see them. Now," she repeated. The fox finally looked like exhausted his mental options and began to respond to Judy's commands. He pulled his hand out of his pocket to reveal it was empty and placed both of his hands on the wall. Judy pulled her radio from her belt.

"This is Officer Hopps, I have one in custody. Requesting backup," she called over the radio. Snarlof came up behind her, allowing Judy to step toward the fox with handcuffs in hand. "Sir, what is your name?" The fox mumbled something under his breath Judy couldn't quite make out. "Could you repeat that a little louder?" she asked as she began to place the handcuffs on his wrists.

"Jason Bluth," he repeated.

"Well, Jason Bluth, you are under arrest for suspected homicide. You have the right to remain silent.


	2. Nick

"There is no one by that name in the system," Judy said, looking at the computer screen. "There's a Jase Bluth, Jasper Bluth, even a Jastin Bluth, but there is no record of a Jason Bluth ever existing in Zootopia." Judy turned in her chair to face the Officer Fangmeyer, who was standing next to her desk.

"It'll take about a week to get pawprint identification back on him. Until then, he's a John Doe, unless he tells us," Fangmeyer said.

"Yeah, did we get an identification on the 187?" Judy asked as she turned back toward the computer.

"It was Jon Foxx," Fangmeyer answered. "Stabbed with a knife from the kitchen." With that, Fangmeyer turned and left to go back to his desk. She felt sorry for the wolf. He actually saw the mess in the bedroom. Judy was too busy catching the guy responsible, the guy who was now sitting in Interrogation Room B, waiting for one of the other officers to question him.

Judy finished filling out the arrest report on "Mr. Bluth" and filed the paperwork into the newly created case file. She was just about to move on to some other work she needed to finish that week when she heard someone walking up behind her. By the sound of the heavy footsteps, Judy made the assumption it was Officer McHorn, there to remind her of some chore she needed to do that she already _knew_ she needed to do.

"I know I still to check over the action report," Judy said, still facing her computer.

She turned in her seat, expecting to see the large rhino standing behind her. What greeted her eyes instead was the imposing form of Chief Bogo. It took her by surprise.

"Chief!" she said. "How, uh... how can I help you? You don't really come by desk-"

"Cut with the pleasantries, Hopps," the massive buffalo interrupted. "You will the question the suspect in the Foxx murder in thirty minutes," he added.

"Wait, what?" Judy asked before she stop herself.

"You have twenty minutes to look over the case file then meet me outside Interrogation Room B," Bogo explained before he left and headed back toward his office. Judy stayed still in her seat, stunned. She'd never been allowed to question suspects before. Judy turned back to the computer and quickly brought up the case file. She would need to every word memorized in the next twenty minutes.

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Judy opened the door and took a step into the interrogation room. The fox, who had been sitting with his hands handcuffed to the table, mindlessly tapping a tune into the wood, stopped and looked up at the newcomer.

"Well, look who it is," the said with a smile. He was unusually pepper for someone facing a murder charge. It was also strange that he waived the right to have a lawyer present during questionings.

"Mr. Bluth, is it?" Judy asked, judging the fox's reaction. He nodded yes, though there was something about his eyes that betrayed a small amount of fear. Judy set the folder full of evidence down on the table and sat down opposite the fox. "Now, we both know that is not true, don't we?" The fox seemed unfazed.

"The only thing I know is that I didn't do anything," the fox said, leaning back in his chair.

"Then it should not be a problem to tell me your name," Judy said, hoping desperation didn't seep into her voice.

"Tell me yours," he answered flatly. It took Judy several seconds to realize she didn't know how to respond.

"What?"

"You heard me. What's your name?" the fox repeated.

"I ask the questions here," Judy countered.

"Obviously not often," the fox huffed out under his breath.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Judy couldn't help but ask.

"Oh, come on, it's obivious to everyone that this is your first time doing this," he said. "Am I right?" He turned to the large mirror he must've known was known was a two-way mirror.

"That doesn't matter, just answer the question," Judy replied, getting frustrated. The fox turned back to Judy.

"Look, just tell me your name and I'll cooperate," he replied smugly. Judy sighed and looked toward the mirror, knowing that the Chief and other officers were watching on the other side of the glass. She hoped it was the right thing to do.

"Judy," she said quietly. The fox leaned forward.

"Judy...?" he dragged out the name, looking for a last name.

"Hopps. My name it Judy Hopps," she admitted. "Now, live up to your side of the deal." The fox leaned back in his seat, thinking.

"Judy Hopps," he repeated. He leaned forward and extended his hand and best he could with the handcuffs restraining him. "Nick Wilde, nice to meet you." Judy looked between the fox and his outstretched paw before reaching for the folder next to her.

"What, you don't trust me?" he asked with feigned innocence. Judy looked at him with a look that could best be described as, "Are you kidding me?"

"No. No I don't," she replied flatly.

"Well, then why are you questioning me?" he asked. "Since clearly you won't believe a word I'll say, I'm already fighting an uphill battle."

"You gave us a fake name," Judy shot back. "Clearly you aren't being cooperative."

"That was a snap decision, and clearly a bad one. But now I've given you my real name and we've built some camaraderie between us," the fox explained.

"There is nothing between us," Judy replied.

"And that's the problem," he said. "You've already assigned guilt which means you won't be willing to give me the benefit of the doubt and nothing I can say will change that. What happened to 'innocent until proven guilty'?" Judy had to take second to process what the fox had said. He was right. She was just about to reply when Bogo entered the room and placed a small note on the table next to her.

"How goes it?" the fox asked Bogo in a chipper voice. He received a snort and a glare before the large buffalo left the interrogation room. "Well, not the friendliest guy, is he?" Judy didn't answer but opened the small note.

 _Nick Wilde is his real name._

Judy looked back at Nick, studying him. She leaned forward and placed her elbows on the table.

"Now, care to explain what you were doing in Mr. Foxx's apartment," she asked. Nick smiled.


	3. Do You Trust Me?

"He was an old friend," Nick explained. "He called and said he needed to talk. That's why I was there."

"And he was dead when you got there?" Judy asked, scribbling down Nick's story.

"Yes," he answered.

"Well, why didn't you call the police?" Judy questioned as she looked up from her notes.

"I _would_ have," Nick began, "but I was only there for... gosh..." He looked toward the ceiling, making a show of thinking hard. "Like, a minute, tops, before you guys showed up." Nick paused, seemingly judging Judy's reaction. Something wasn't adding up in her mind.

"Why did you run?" she asked.

"You're new to this city aren't you, Carrots?" Nick asked, leaning in closer.

"Relatively, and my name's _not Ca_ rrots," Judy replied.

"Well, if you knew how this city works, you would now that being a fox at a crime scene is not exactly the path to a happy life," he said leaning back into the chair.

"Well, you still shouldn't have done it," Judy quipped as she thumbed threw one of the files on the table.

"You're a real genius, ya know that, Carrots?" Nick quipped back. Judy set down the files and looked at the fox.

"You know my name," she said. "Use it." Nick held up his hands as much as the handcuffs would allow.

"Whoa, take it down a notch there," he said.

"Take your sarcasm down a notch," Judy shot back. Gosh, this guy could talk. Judy looked over her notes, looking for anything else to ask. "Wait a minute..."

"What?" Judy saw Nick's ears fold down to his skull as she looked over evidence.

"How did you unlock the door?" she asked. "You didn't have a key to the apartment on you." Judy looked up at Nick only to see a look of genuine confusion growing on his face.

"Jon never locked the door," Nick said in the most serious voice Judy had heard him speak with yet. "I didn't have to unlock it." Judy sat up straight in her chair and cocked her head to the side slightly.

"And you didn't lock it behind you?" she asked. Nick only shook his head. His brain was obviously running at this new information. Judy clicked her pen several times before stood and left the room.

"Well, bye!" Nick called after her as she moved to the adjacent room that looked into the interrogation room. Bogo turned to her as she entered.

"If he's telling the truth," she said, "then someone else was in that apartment." Bogo huffed.

"That's assuming that you believe him," the Chief replied. "We checked that apartment. It was empty."

"We can't just ignore what he's saying," Judy pleaded. "If he is telling the truth, this is a lead we need to look into." Bogo crossed his arms and glared at Judy.

" You are letting the suspect play mind games with you Officer Hopps," the large buffalo said. "He is a fox found _at_ the scene of the crime, of course he's going to come up with any excuse he can to avoid punishment!" Judy's ears flopped down against her scalp as the buffalo's voice grew in volume.

"What does him being a fox have to do with anything?" she asked, doing her absolute best to keep anger out of her voice. Bogo was her boss after all. He sighed in response.

"Fox, rabbit, buffalo... It doesn't matter what species he is," Bogo shot back, clearly not as concerned about the tone of his voice. "Any animal would want to shift blame." Bogo sighed again and looked toward Nick sitting in the interrogation room on the other side of the glass. "Go back to your desk. Another officer with complete the interrogation."

"What? Why?" Judy protested. "I've already gotten his name out of him. I can do more!"

"We need to shake him off his feet. The tape of the interrogation will be on your desk by the end of your shift," Bogo said. Judy was just about to turn and leave when the words suddenly registered in her mind.

"Wait, sir, does this mean I'm...?" she asked, hoping she wasn't reading the situation wrong.

"Yes, Officer Hopps, I am assigning you to this case," he replied. "The mayor wanted the new recruits on some more high profile cases, which makes this your lucky day, doesn't it?" With that, Bogo left the small room, leaving Judy alone with Nick on the other side of the glass. Judy stared though the glass at the fox, totally unaware of her presence.

Nick was glancing around the room twiddling his thumbs. Whether he was guilty or not, Judy couldn't tell, but there was no way he would be mistreated simply because he was a fox. Despite Judy's own experience with the violence of foxes in the past, she vowed in that moment she would be as fair as possible.

Then she saw a look cross Nick's face, one that she would remember for the remainder of the case. In a moment, it seemed all of Nick's defenses dropped. A look of fear came over his face. It only lasted seconds before he glanced toward the mirror and recomposed himself. That look in that moment convinced Judy Nick was telling the truth. It didn't matter what Bogo said, Nick was terrified and put forward this bravado as some sort of defense mechanism.

Judy left the room just as another officer entered the interrogation room.


	4. Psych Eval

The stack of notes was thrown down on Judy's desk. She bolted from her work, startled.

"Here's the psych eval on Wilde," a soft spoke. Judy looked up from her work into the eyes of Dr. Cross, a female badger who was only a hair larger than Judy herself. Judy was quite familiar with Dr. Cross. She was the department psychologist who ran all psychological evaluations on prospective recruits into the police force. From time to time she was called in to conduct the same tests on suspect's as well.

"And...?" Judy asked as she glanced between the small stack of papers and the female badger standing at her desk. Dr. Cross didn't respond but simply grabbed a nearby chair and pulled it up close to Judy.

"What did you say to him?" Cross asked.

"What? What do you mean?" Judy asked back, reaching for the stack of notes and flipping through them.

"I mean that Mr. Wilde was quite cautious as to not reveal any personal information about himself," Dr. Cross explained. "Any time I asked about his childhood or home life, he would either give a one word response or he would attempt to dodge the question."

"So?"

"There were only two things he seemed to open up about," Cross continued. "He mentioned his mother quite often, which would lead me to believe he was close to her, but he also talked about you a surprising amount."

"So?" Judy asked. "Why is that surprising? I talked to him earlier that day."

"That's what I thought too, but he was also interrogated by Officer Delgato that day as well, but Mr. Wilde never mentioned him. Hence why I asked what you said to Mr. Wilde. Whatever it was, it left an impression on him," Dr. Cross said. Judy looked through the notes as she processed what the psychiatrist had said.

"Wow, you write a lot," Judy mumbled.

"Oh, that's nothing, Officer Hopps," Dr. Cross replied with a smile. "You should see the file I have on you."

"Wait, what?" Judy's head snapped up from the notes.

"What I'm saying is Mr. Wilde is difficult to get a read on," Dr. Cross continued. "He knows how to keep people from seeing his real personality."

"His _real_ personality?" Judy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Mr. Wilde's like a chameleon," Dr. Cross said. "He knows how to read people and adjust his reactions accordingly. With you, he was more upbeat and positive. With Delgato, he was slightly more aggressive. With me, he was more distant and aloof."

"So I actually can't believe a word he says?" Judy replied, asking herself more than Dr. Cross.

"I wouldn't go that far," Cross answered. "It seems Mr. Wilde has been living on his own since the age of twelve. He had to developer that skill just to survive this long. By now, he probably doesn't even realize he's altering his personality. It's instinct."

"He's been on his own since he was twelve?" Judy looked up from the papers in her hand, sympathy growing in her heart. She couldn't imagine living that long without her parents. No wonder he acted so weird. "Doctor, what _can_ you tell me about him?" Cross leaned back and though hard for several seconds.

"Well, he's lived on his own for nearly twenty years," Dr. Cross began. "No evidence of a stable home life. He never even mentioned a father so I would assume his father left before Mr. Wilde was born or when he was very young." Cross thought for several more seconds. "He has a strong dislike of authority figures, possibly due to the lack of a solid father figure in his youth." She paused and thought. "Other than that, Officer Hopps, Mr. Wilde is a complete enigma."

"Do you think he's capable of a crime like this?" Judy asked, hoping for some type of silver lining.

"Anyone is capable of anything, Officer Hopps," Dr. Cross answered. It wasn't exactly the answer Judy was looking for. "But I can say this. Mr. Wilde wouldn't do any of it without good reason. He's smart. He wouldn't have gotten this far without being smart."

"So... what? Is that a yes or a no?" Judy pried.

"Look, it's not my place to say that," Cross replied. "In the end it's up to the evidence to decide." With those last words, Dr. Cross stood and returned the chair to its place before heading back toward her office. Judy watched her leave before turning back toward her computer.

"Yeah, except there's no evidence," Judy mumbled as she clicked through the crime scene photos on her computer screen, searching through the images for something she missed. She got to the photos of the bed room and started to slowly look through the set. There had to be _something_. Yet there appeared to be nothing that would lead to a motive or a killer. Even the knife was devoid of pawprints.

 _Wait a minute..._

Judy leaned in toward the computer screen. While making sure her brain wasn't playing tricks on her, she reached for the phone on her desk and dialed Clawhauser's extension.

"Hey, Ben, yeah, it's Judy," she said into the phone. "I'm going to need to talk to Nick Wilde again."


	5. Stewart

Judy looked at the clock for the fifth time in as many minutes. It was almost time to go into the room next door. The room that Nick, now dressed in a burnt orange jumpsuit, currently sat in, chained to the table. Judy looked through the two way mirror at the fox, studying him. If he shifted his personality base on who he was talking to, how did he react when there was no one there?

Judy checked the clock again. It was time. Nick had been sitting alone for well over an hour. Judy checked the folder in her hands one more time before she headed into the interrogation room. As Judy pushed the door open, Nick looked up from the desk. A smile crossed his face.

"Well, if it isn't Officer Carrots!" he said. Judy didn't reply, but walked up to the table and threw the folder down, making a loud snapping sound. Nick looked between Judy and the folder. Judy intentionally kept a scowl on her face, testing to see how Nick responded to a different personality. He was obviously studying her.

"You know my name," Judy replied through gritted teeth as she sat down. Nick was obviously confused. He must've though he had the rabbit figured out, but now she was acting completely different than before.

"What, is this like a... good cop, bad cop thing?" he asked. Judy ignored the question but instead reached for the folder.

"Do you know why Mr. Foxx called you?" Judy asked back. Nick took longer to reply than normal. Judy had managed to knock him off balance, just like Judy had planned. The fox swallowed hard.

"No. No, I don't," he answered. "He just called and said he needed to talk."

"How did you know him?" Judy continued.

"I told you that already," Nick responded. Judy eyed Nick suspiciously as she reached into the folder and retrieved a transcript from their earlier conversation.

"No, you told me..." Judy looked through the transcript. "And I quote, 'He was an old friend.' That was all you said," Judy said as she set the paper down on the table and waited for Nick to respond. Nick was clearly scrambling to answer.

"He was and old family friend," Nick repeated.

"I want details," Judy shot back. "How long have you known him? When did you meet? How long had it been since you spoke? One sentence answers aren't going to fly here, buddy!" Nick recoiled slightly as Judy's voice rose. Judy's sudden change in tone had taken him by surprise. Judy was secretly pleased with herself.

"OK, tone it down there, Officer," Nick said. "I've known the guy since I was born, he was quite a bit older than me. He showed me how to be a fox and survive in this world. He was the closest thing to a dad I ever had." Nick's voice was growing in volume as well and he was starting bare his teeth in anger.

"Then why did you stop talking to him?" Judy pried. Nick leaned back into his seat and became silent.

"Because he left too," he nearly whispered. Nick looked down on the floor.

"Nick," Judy said. "Did you know Mr. Foxx was in contact with your father?" Her voice returned to a softer tone as Nick's head snapped up. His eyes shifted back and forth as he tried to figure out if Judy was telling the truth.

"That's not possible," Nick said, his teeth starting to show again. "My dad disappeared decades ago."

"What was your father's name?" Judy asked. Nick stared Judy in the eye. The look on his face told Judy that his father's name was something Nick hadn't said in a long time.

"Stewart," he said through gritted teeth.

"Hey, that's my dad's name," Judy said before she realized that it was neither the time nor the place. Nick only looked angrier.

"Well, doesn't that make us special?" he asked sarcastically. Judy choose not to reply but reached into the folder and pulled out the photo she had seen. She placed it on the table and pushed it toward Nick. He leaned in to get a better view. Written on a sticky note on the night stand, was the name _Stewart Wilde_. Judy thought it would be prudent to blur out the phone number written underneath it. Nick looked back up at Judy.

"Why didn't you tell me about this before?" he said.

"No one noticed it before," Judy answered. "We didn't know there was a connection." Nick looked back down at the photo.

"That must've been what he wanted to talk to me about," Nick whispered, an angry scowl still on his face. Judy reached forward a put the photo back into the folder. Nick's brain was obviously running, his eyes darting around.

"So you didn't know about this?" Judy asked. The snarl on Nick's started to dissipate as he looked Judy in the eye.

"No, I didn't," Nick replied. "I never met my father and at this point, I don't want to." Nick leaned back and refused to look Judy in the eye. He wanted the conversation to be over. Judy wasn't quite done yet.

"Do you think he might have had anything to do with this?" Judy asked.

"Do you really think I would know?" Nick shot back, his anger starting to come back. "I _never_ met the guy!" Nick leaned in closer to Judy. "But I do know he wouldn't think twice about abandoning his family." Nick sat back down in his chair. "Any other questions?"

"No, I think that's it," Judy said as she stood. She wanted to say something comforting to Nick, but couldn't think of anything off the top of her head. Judy turned and left the room. Judy barely left the hallway when she ran into Chief Bogo.

"Oh, sir!" Judy shouted. "I was looking for you!" Bogo turned and let out a sigh.

"What is it Officer Hopps?" he replied. "I have work to do."

"Sir, we need to find Stewart Wilde," Judy said.

"Who?" the Chief asked.

"Nick Wilde's father," Judy explained. "Jon Foxx had his number in the apartment and he might have something to do with the murder." The Chief thought for several seconds."

"Fine," he said shortly. "Get it done."

"Yes, sir!" Judy gave a quick salute before she bounded away.


	6. Phone Call

**Author's Note:** Thank you to everyone who's enjoyed this story so far! Thanks for following, favoriting, and reviewing the story. I love hearing what you guys think of the story so far. Also, let me know what you think of the new cover photo!

* * *

Judy sat down at her desk. It shouldn't be hard. She had his phone number. It was just a phone call; nothing more. Still Judy couldn't bring herself to pick up the phone. She leaned back in her chair, her brain running through all the possible outcomes of a conversation with Nick's father. The best outcome would be shed some light on a murder case which, if Nick turned out to innocent, was quickly turning cold. Judy couldn't afford to blow this case.

Moving quickly so she couldn't stop herself, Judy reached forward and picked up the phone and placed it to her ear. With her free hand, she pressed the numbers and quickly double checked to make sure the number was correct. She leaned back in the chair as the phone began to ring. Her heartbeat began to rise with every tone.

The soft sound of a click on the other end of the line sent Judy leaning forward. What was probably less than a second felt like hours as Judy waited for any sign of life from the other side. She then heard a sigh.

"Hello," a gruff said from the other end of the line. Judy took a deep breath and spoke with her most professional tone.

"Yes, this is Officer Judy Hopps with the Zootopia Police Department," Judy began. "Am I speaking with Mr. Stewart Wilde?" The listener waited several seconds before answering.

"Yes," he replied. "What do you want?" he added briskly.

 _Well, getting right to the point, aren't we?_

"You were acquaintances with a Mr. Jonathan Foxx were you not?" Judy asked. An annoyed sigh came from the other end of the line.

"Oh, what did he do this time?" Stewart said.

"Well, this may come as a surprise, sir," Judy replied. She paused, the words sticking in her throat. "Mr. Foxx was found dead in his apartment two days ago and..." her voiced choked. She didn't even know the guy, why was this so hard?

"Ah, serves him right," the voice cut Judy off. She pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it. Did that really just come out of his mouth? Judy put the phone back to her ear.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"Look, it doesn't surprise me that Jonny got in over his head. There's nothing I can do to help you, officer," Mr. Wilde said. "Good day."

"No, no, no, wait!" Judy yelled, hoping she caught him before he hung up.

"What is it officer?" Mr. Wilde asked, clearly annoyed.

"Your son is currently in custody for the murder," Judy forced the words out. The following seconds passed in awkward silence. Judy ground her teeth together waiting for the fox on the other side of the phone to reply.

"Nicky?" Judy could hear a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Yes, sir," Judy replied. Gosh, this was shaping up to the single most awkward conversation of her life. "Would you like to come down to the station and answer some questions, sir?" Again the phone line was silent for a strangely long amount of time.

"Yes," he said. "I can be there in half and hour."

"Good, just ask for Officer Hopps once you get here," Judy said.

"OK, goodbye officer," Mr. Wilde replied.

"See ya," Judy replied back as she hung up the phone. She set the phone back down on her desk and leaned back in her chair, staring at the ceiling. "Wow, this is a messed up family," she mumbled before she leaned back toward her computer. "Why did I want this case?" Judy whispered to herself. "My life was pretty simple. Writing tickets was easy. But, _no_ , I wanted to do more." A sound behind her caused Judy to spin around in her chair. Clawhauser was standing there.

"How long have you standing there?" Judy asked.

"Not long," the cheetah answered. "The chief wants to talk to you."

"Oh, what now?" Judy said, barely masking her annoyance.

"I don't know, but it sounded urgent," Clawhauser replied. Judy sighed and stood up from her desk. She walked past Clawhauser and headed toward Chief Bogo's office. She stopped outside the door and knocked on the large door.

"Come in," the Chief's booming voice came from the room. Judy slowly pushed the door open and stepped into the large office. Bogo looked up from the work on his desk.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Judy asked. Bogo reached up and took his glasses off his face.

"The mayor's office want's you to halt the investigation," he replied flatly.

"What, why?" Judy asked as disbelief began to rise in her head.

"We're devoting too many department resources to this case that would appear to be open and shut," Bogo explained.

"There's no concrete evidence that links Nick with that murder and also, _it was a murder_ ," Judy shot back. "We can't just shove it under the rug."

"Watch your tone, Hopps," Bogo growled. "There are more important cases out there."

"More important than a life?" Judy asked.

"It's not your call, Hopps," Bogo replied. "It's out of your hands."

"Nick's father is on his way here now," Judy said. "Can I at least question him? If nothing else comes up, I'll drop it today." Bogo sighed in response.

"Fair enough," he answered. "You'll drop it today."


	7. Reunion

She kept her eye on the front door. Any minute now, Stewart Wilde would walk through those doors. Hopefully he could shed some light on this case and who else might have had a motive to kill Jon Foxx. The others were so quick to pin all the blame on Nick and not even consider than someone else might have done it, someone who was potentially slipping away as she sat here. Something never quite sat right with Judy concerning Nick's supposed guilt.

Judy checked the clock again as she heard the front door open. Her eyes darted back to the entrance just as an older fox walked through the door. His facial features were similar to those of Nick, though Stewart's fur was decidedly more gray than his son's bright orange coat. His clothes when older and worn out, no doubt due to years of use before Stewart ever owned them.

The older fox stepped into the lobby and looked around, clearly overwhelmed. Judy stood and hopped over him. Stewart saw Judy just as she reached him.

"Officer Hopps, I presume?" he asked.

"Mr. Wilde, I presume?" Judy asked back.

"I want to see my son," Stewart shot back.

"We can arrange that, Mr. Wilde," Judy began. "But we are running short on time and I have questions I need to ask you."

"I just want to talk to him," Stewart said. Judy sighed.

"I'll work on that, OK?" she answered. "But if you can follow me, I really do have questions I need to ask you," Judy continued as she motioned for Mr. Wilde to follow her away from the lobby. She lead the older fox down a hallway until they reached one of the interrogation rooms. Judy motioned for Mr. Wilde to step inside before she followed.

Stewart sat down at the table while Judy pulled up a chair and pulled out an audio recorder. No one was listening in the adjacent room to run the recording equipment, so she would have to record the testimony herself. She placed the recorder on the table and pressed the record button before she paused to collect her thoughts.

"So, can you state your name for the record?" Judy asked.

"Stewart Piberius Wilde," the fox replied.

"OK, what can you tell me about Mr. Jonathan Foxx?" Judy asked.

"He was an old friend," he answered.

 _Doesn't that sound familiar?_

"Any more detail would be helpful, Mr. Wilde," Judy said, hoping her annoyance didn't sound in her voice.

"He was that friend who was always doing something of... questionable legality," Mr. Wilde began. "Always knew it would do him in one day."

"How often did you see Mr. Foxx?" Judy asked. Stewart leaned back in his chair and thought hard.

"Not terribly often," he answered. "He would keep me updated on Nicky's goings-on, until the two of them parted ways. We hadn't really spoken in a few months, but..."

"Would you know why he would have your number on his nightstand, then?" Judy interjected.

"...but I wanted to try and reconnect with Nicky," Stewart finished. "Jonny knew how to get in contact with him."

"Why did what to connect with him now?" Judy asked. "Nick seemed to indicate you left before he was even born." The words seemed to cut into the fox like a knife.

"I was young and stupid," he answered. "It was the worst mistake of my life and I wanted to try and fix it before it was too late."

"Do you think Nick could have-," Judy began.

"No," Stewart cut her off. "Nicky didn't do this. He's not violent. Trust me, Jonny was involved in enough illegal stuff. That's what killed him, not Nicky."

"Would you be willing to testify in court about Mr. Foxx's illegal actions?" Judy asked. If she couldn't stop Nick from being charged with the murder, she could at least give him a fighting chance in court.

"If it could get him out of jail, yes," he replied. Judy let out a relieved sigh.

"Thank you," she said as she stood from the table. "I will go see if I let you see your son." Judy turned and left the room. Judy spent the next hour jumping through the bureaucratic red tape to get Nick out of his holding cell, though her mind certainly wasn't focused on the task at hand. Finally, Judy stood outside the interrogation room door as Nick was escorted down the hall, handcuffed between two other officers.

Judy stepped out of the way as Nick was guided into the interrogation room and handcuffed to the table. Judy entered as the two officers took up positions on either side of the door and closed it behind her. As she stepped into the room, it was filled with an awkward silence as Nick stared his father in the eye. There was an expression covering his face that Judy couldn't quite place. Nick suddenly sighed and leaned his head forward, placing it in his cuffed paws. He lifted his head in a jolt.

"I ran through this scenario in my head so many times," Nick spoke, with a voice that almost sounded like he was holding back crying. "I can honestly say I didn't see it playing out this way." Stewart was less successful in holding back tears.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, his eyes wet with tears.

"I'm not," Nick said as he snapped his wrists upward. Judy didn't have time to react before the handcuffs came off his wrists and clanked on the table. The last thing Judy remembered was a dark brown fist rushing toward her face.


	8. Concussion

Judy came to seconds later. Well, it felt like seconds, but it could have been hours for all she knew. Judy pulled herself off the floor as her head pounded. She looked down at the carpeted floor and noticed a small stain of blood where she had been laying. Moving slowly to a sitting position, she groaned as she touched her left eye. She pulled her hand away from her face, noting a small amount of blood in the fur on her paw.

Judy then looked up to survey the room. It was empty. Both Nick and Stewart were gone, the only evidence remaining were the unlocked handcuffs on the table. Judy stood and examined the handcuffs. Her brain was still struggling to recover as she picked up the handcuffs. There was a bent paperclip sticking out of the locking mechanism.

Out of the corner of her eye, Judy saw movement. The air vent was open and swaying back and forth. The movement was too great to be caused by the air flowing from the vent. Someone had just left. Suddenly Judy remembered that there were two guards just outside the door. As she moved to the door, her movements still sluggish as she tried to come to grips with what happened.

Her hand then brushed the holster on her hip. She froze and quickly looked down at the holster. The gun was missing.

 _Oh, no._

She reached the door and threw it open. The two officer's looked at her in surprise for only fractions of a second.

"He got out," was all she managed to say before the officers pushed her out of the way and rushed into the small room. "He's still in the building somewhere," she called back to them. "One potential hostage, and he's armed." Judy reached for the wall as she felt the room start to spin. Nick's punch must've been harder than she thought.

As the officer ordered the building to be put on lock down, Judy slid down the wall in the hallway as she tried to regain her senses. She rested her head in her hands as she tried to will the headache away. Judy rested as Officer Wolford came running down the hall, only to skid to a stop next to Judy.

"Hey, you OK?" he asked. Judy looked up to meet his gaze. The expression on the wolf's face told Judy she was probably in worse shape than she thought. Wow, Nick had a good arm.

"Whoa," he whistled under his breath before he reached for his radio. "Can you walk?"

"When the room's not spinning, yeah," Judy answered. The dizziness was coming in waves.

"We need a medic on the interrogation hall," Wolford called over the radio. He turned his attention back to Judy. "What happened?" Judy groaned.

"He picked the lock," Judy explained. "He got a paper clip from somewhere. They're in the air vents somewhere."

"OK, just stay here," Wolford said as he dashed down the hall. Judy watched him leave before trying to stand. Bracing herself against the wall, she pushed herself into a standing position. She stood still for several seconds when her ears suddenly shot up. It was faint, but she could clearly hear the sound of scraping metal coming from the ceiling to her left. She turned to where Wolford had run to.

"Hey!" she tried to yell, but her voice refused to go above a certain volume. Frustrated, she reached for her radio, only to realize that that pouch was now empty as well. Of course Nick took her radio. She looked into the interrogation room, only to see that the officers that were there had now left the room. There was no one within earshot.

Judy quickly ran though her options. She could try to go get help, but she might lose Nick's location. He could end up anywhere in the building. No, she needed to follow. The dizziness had subsided enough that she would be able to walk, albeit not quickly. She concentrated on the sound, listening as it seemed to be moving up.

 _He's going to the roof._

Gathering all her strength, Judy moved to a nearby elevator. It wouldn't go all the way to the roof, but it would get her close. The slow elevator ride was excruciatingly long. She didn't know what Nick's escape plan was, but she needed to stop him. In the quiet elevator, one thought popped into her mind.

 _Why?_

Why would Nick do this? If he was innocent of murder, he was now guilty of assault on an officer at the least and kidnapping at the most. Realization hit her like a ton of bricks. Nick didn't do anything without reason and Nick was certainly acting like someone who was guilty.

The elevator dinged open and Judy slowly walked into the hall. There were no officers up here. Most had probably gone to the lower floors to keep Nick from escaping out to the street. There wasn't really a viable escape route from the roof, but Judy didn't put it past the fox to figure something out.

She took the final flight of stairs to the roof and through the door open. She hoped she had been faster than the foxes, but that wasn't the case. Her eyes squinted in the sunlight as she walked onto the flat roof, empty save for the pair of foxes near the one of the vents. They only beat her by seconds.

Nick spun around at the sound of Judy's approach before pointing her own weapon at her.


	9. Confrontation

"Wait, slow down," Judy said, holding her hands out in front of her. Nick didn't lower the gun, but instead took a step toward. "Why did you do it?" Judy asked. "Why did you kill Jon Fox?" Nick lowered the gun slightly a scoffed

"I didn't," he said. "I don't know who did, but it wasn't me!"

"Do you really think I'm that stupid?" Judy nearly yelled. "After everything you just did?"

"Yes. yes, I do," Nick shot back. "But that has nothing to do with this. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time." Nick dropped the gun and spun back toward his father. "Or maybe it was the right place at the right time. Right, old man?" Stewart didn't respond.

"What are you talking about?" Judy pressed as she started walking forward. With each step, the dizziness started to return.

"I had been looking for you for _decades_! Then you were thrown right into my lap." Nick barely seemed to acknowledge Judy's presence. He started to raise the gun again.

"I said I was sorry!" Stewart yelled back.

"Sorry doesn't cut it!" Nick shouted as he leveled the gun at Stewart. "You _left_ us! You left _her_! Did you really think I would just forgive you for that?"

"Who's 'her'?" Judy cut in, getting closer to the pair. Nick's head swung toward Judy. He shifted his feet to keep distance between himself and Judy.

"Go on. Tell her!" Nick shouted at Stewart. Stewart slowly turned his head toward Judy.

"His mom," he said quietly.

"She wasn't just my mom," Nick growled. "She was your wife! We were your family! But you apparently had more important things to do!"

"It was the worst mistake of my life!" Stewart blurted out, turning his attention back to Nick and trying to close the distance. Nick tightened his grip on the handgun.

"A mistake you had decades to fix, but didn't!" Nick shouted back. Judy looked back and forth between the two foxes. She needed to deescalate the situation, fast. First, Nick needed to drop the gun. The only problem with that was Nick wasn't thinking straight. He was tunnel-visioned. She needed to make him think of the big picture. If only the haze in her own brain would go away.

"Nick, just calm down," Judy said in as calm a voice as she could muster. Nick's eye's didn't shift from his father.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Nick growled back.

"Listen to her, Nicky," Stewart added. Nick bared his teeth in response.

"Mr. Wilde, not helping. Stay quiet," Judy barked. The last thing she needed was for Stewart to say something to set Nick off. The younger fox was on a hair trigger. "Nick, you haven't done anything yet you can't undo," she said, taking a step forward. "You can stop this before it gets any worse."

"He did things he can't undo," Nick snarled. He suddenly lunged forward and grabbed Stewart by the collar, sticking the barrel of the gun in the older fox's face. "Do you know what that did to her?" Judy used Nick's distraction to move forward. Her headache was starting pound in her skull. She pushed through the pain as she tried to find a way to calm Nick down.

"Nick, think of the long term here." Nick's head snapped toward Judy.

"He didn't think of the long term," he turned his attention back to the frightened fox in his paws. "She worked herself to the bone for me! Three jobs! Because you were too much of a coward to stick around!"

"I was young and stupid, Nicky! It was the worst mistake of my life," Stewart cried, tears starting to well in his eyes.

"Stop calling me 'Nicky'! You haven't earned the right to call me that!" Nick yelled, grinding the barrel into Stewart's neck.

"I'm sorry," Stewart replied in a whisper. Nick suddenly pushed Stewart closer to the edge of the roof, still holding a gun to his head. Judy rushed forward, only to to stop as a strong sensation of lightheadedness overtook her. She pressed her hand to her head as she tried to regain her balance.

"Sorry doesn't make up for what you did to Mom!" Nick shouted, pushing the older fox closer to the edge.

"Nick, please," Judy called as loud a voice as she could. She kept walking toward the two foxes, though staying mindful of her distance. He didn't turn toward Judy, but there was a slight twitch in Nick's ear, which told Judy he had heard her. "You don't want to do this."

"Why don't I want to do this?" Nick whispered. The sudden shift in Nick's voice concerned Judy. There was a darkness to the tone. "I've dreamt of this day for decades; all the things I would say to you."

"Would your mom want you to do?" Judy asked. She hoped mention of his mother in a different context would snap Nick out of his tunnel vision. Nick froze, his brain obviously running. Judy took a slight step forward, only to feel a sharp pain in her brain. Judy retreated slightly as she closed her eyes and placed her paw against her head. "Ow."

Suddenly, the strength in her legs gave out. Judy dropped to her knees, a wave of drowsiness coming over her. She tried her best to open her eyes, but it turned out to require massive effort. She saw Nick start to look her way as she toppled over, landing hard on the ground.


End file.
